Christmas is officially over so that means it will soon be time to dispose of your tree.
But don’t just drag it to the corner! The city has an official recycling program for Christmas trees that runs from January 2 until January 16, and all it requires is that you leave your tree right alongside your blue recycle bin on your regular garbage pickup day.
Tree collections will occur January 2 to January 16 on regular service days. City officials are asking residents to place trees next to their recycling carts before 6 a.m. on their regular pickup day.
Officials are also asking residents to remove tinsel, decorations, plastic bags, stands, fake snow “flocking” and lights and cut in half any trees taller than 6 feet.
Recology then chips the trees at a center in San Francisco and take the chips to Tracy, CA where they’ll be used to generate electricity.
On to the New Year…
Sarah B.
Hmmm…
Written December 26: “Christmas is officially over so that means it will soon be time to dispose of your tree.”
Yikes !!
On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me …
Twelve drummers drumming,
Eleven pipers piping,
Ten lords a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming,
Six geese a-laying,
Five gold rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree.
There’s a reason for that Christmas carol: Christmas lasts 12 days, until January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, the Feast of the Three Kings, and sometimes even called “Little Christmas.” In Spain and other countries, that’s the day gifts are traditionally exchanged.
Shakespeare even wrote a play: “Twelfth Night.”
That’s the problem with starting the Christmas commercial season at Labor Day now—people are so tired of it, that they can’t wait until it’s over.
We’ve got two [mourning] doves, and four calling [ravens].
I used to have mourning doves that built a nest here every year for 4 or 5 years, but they took off, never to return. The ravens are always around, and some evenings, the geese fly overhead from GG Park off the Presidio or somewhere.
@ Mike P.
Funny you should mention ravens. The other day I was walking towards the Smart N Final on 7th ave. when I saw two of ’em harassing a red tailed hawk!
They were cawing and flying right above the hawk and even chased it after it landed on the Smart N Final roof for a breather!
@Mike P. — Thanks for the rundown on Epiphany (Jan. 6) being the OFFICIAL end of the Christmas season. It’s good for people to be reminded of the actual reasons for things and where traditions come from. People need to slow down their calendars, not speed them up.
Many European countries (and the churches here) celebrate Advent, the 4 weeks before Christmas, with a wreath and 4 candles, 1 for each Sunday. Having the wreath be the focus means not needing to put a tree up the day after Thanksgiving. Decorating a tree close to Christmas then allows people to keep the tree up (and fresh) until Jan. 6.
But it’s difficult, because as you say — a lot of it is due to commercial pressures — there’s always a need to move on to the next holiday sale. Next up: New Year’s.
Regardless: Happy holidays to all!